Second verse, same as the first

Of all of the days I could have test-ridden a potential lease horse, Saturday was likely the worst possible day. Let's recap...Friday: 69 degrees and sunny -- in fact, I finished up the day in a sleeveless dress on a 19th floor balcony in center city with a glass of wine in my hand. Saturday: a high of 48 and windy...very windy. Gust of 50 mph! I had entertained the idea of riding my bike to the bus stop, but instead I walked which proved to be quite a challenge in that wind. I got a call from Kazi's owner en route and I was seriously concerned she was canceling on me due to the weather. I feel like there are two types of horse people -- those who only ride when everything is JUST right, and those who ride no matter what. I've always been on of the latter variety, but you can't really expect everyone to be the same way. She wasn't calling to cancel though, she was checking to see if I wanted anything from the coffee shop (remember, we haven't even met yet -- aren't I supposed to be trying to win HER over?) I decided to take the bus because I was curious just how convenient it would be for me, and if is was, it would boost any opinion I had about the horse/owner. I can literally step outside my office, hop on the bus and be at the stables in 35 minutes...from the stop, it's a 5-10 minute walk through a little cul-de-sac.



The farm itself sits tucked away behind a little residential area and it backs up to Fairmount Park. First impressions...small turnouts with no grass, but good fencing AND hot tape. The horses were all happy, healthy, and had plenty of hay. *Again, some of this may seem redundant or silly to comment on, but I am learning from this experience that no two barns are created equal. The barn is a 200 year old building and it's really cute. They are slowly working on making improvements to the exterior, but other than an overdue coat of paint it's really charming. It was once used to house cattle so the ceilings are fairly low and the stalls are a little small, but otherwise were immaculate. Stripped, with a big pile of bedding lumped in the center of each of them. The little barn has a lovely tack room, an office and a lounge (sure beats a port-o-potty). I walked up just as Kazi's owner was arriving and she met me with a big hug in the driveway. I was introduced to the BM and a handful of other boarders and I knew instantly that I liked the place. Everyone was curious and friendly. Laid back but clearly knowledgeable. D started right away showing me where Kazi's things were and she had me fetch him from his turnout. He's been trained in Parelli and he responds well to body language. He came over and investigated me, and she encouraged me to give him about 4 feet of loose lead. *His experience at the track seems to have encouraged him to get tense if he feels restricted or bullied. He was caked in mud. I mean, head to toe, ear to tail, just filthy. He looked like he had spent a day or two working on that mud cake and he seemed quite proud of himself. D asked me if I wanted help grooming him or anything, but I really wanted to get an idea of what he was like -- what better way than loosening up all the dirt! He was thrilled to be groomed. *I secretly don't like horses that get grumpy when they are given attention, so this was another +1 for Kazi. He even moves his tail for you so you can get in all the nooks and crannies. He didn't have a single spot on him that was ticklish or that he seemed uncomfortable with me touching, but he definitely had a few spots that he LOVED. He picks up his hooves on command -- come to think of it, he does lots of things on command. But it was funny to pick his feet up normally (running my hand down his leg and asking for the hoof) and having D mention that he'll just lift them if you stand next to him and point. Ha! We half-tacked him up and put on a rope halter so we could walk him down to the arena and see where his mind was with the crazy weather. He jumped a few times on the cross-ties, but nothing dangerous, and although he spooked once on the ground in the ring, he remained calm and focused throughout our experiment. She showed me the Parelli games that he knows (and I will admit, I was impressed having only heard negative things about Parelli) and it was really cute to see his brain working while he remembered the games and interacted with D. I was also impressed by her body language. She has a really calm demeanor, the kind of energy that relaxes you instantly. He seemed to respond to that when things were getting hairy around the ring. The trees were swaying heavily and limbs were snapping off left and right. Plus there's a big meadow beyond the property where the park begins and it's made the arena a bit of a wind tunnel. He seemed quite enough though, so we threw his bridle on and she hopped on. She offered to let me get on first, but I wanted to see how he goes...so off she went. The ring is lovely. 100 x 200 ft with new footing. Despite all of the snow we've had lately there were only a few little puddles at one end of the ring -- which Kazi was happy to play in. D walked and trotted him around a little and then let me get on. I did the same just letting him have his head while I got a feeling for him. He's not incredibly fit and is sporting a little bit of a hay belly, so I didn't want to ask for too much. I got off and D hopped back on to ask for a little canter. She had mentioned it's his best gait (I agree). Despite the weather he moved quietly into a canter and loped around without a care in the world. I got back on and had a lovely walk to canter transition and D commented that we looked great (he felt great!). I was sold. I did get one big spook out of him, but again, it wasn't mean...just typical TB nonsense, and he recovered really quickly. He's certainly not an easy/beginner horse, but he's also not incredibly schooled either. He has the athleticism to become much more advanced (the other girl that leases him is a dressage rider) and it will be neat to see where things go as he gets fit. I am glad that we are starting out while he's a little chubby and unfit, so we can get to know each other without crazy behavior. He's still trying to figure out how to use his muscles and ride from back to front (I cringed a little when D told me to see-saw his mouth a little to get him to drop his head -- it was the only red flag of the day) and I know that I can get him there using correct technique with time.

He really interacted with me in a curious, fun way, and his personality is larger than life. That is a real requirement for me with a horse. The mare that I rode last week was dull and to be frank, boring. I sort of wished that her behavior was personality related because that would have given her a little edge. And while he clearly has his head on straight, he's not an angel either. She gave full disclosure of the several broken bones she's sustained while riding him.

We're trying to arrange a second ride (in better weather) so I can make a final decision, but it's clear that this is an ideal situation. I am so incredibly excited about him! It will be so neat to take him from chubby fur-monster, to sleek, fit and shiny! The beau was pleased with my improved attitude Saturday afternoon and he's eager to meet the new guy in my life! Hopefully the next meeting will include both boys.

A curious and woolly monster: